


Not Just Fine Feathers

by Dimity Blue (Arnie)



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-10 22:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16463159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arnie/pseuds/Dimity%20Blue
Summary: With a little bit of help, Lettie sees herself a little differently.





	Not Just Fine Feathers

To say Lettie was doubtful was an understatement.

"Trust me!" Mr. Phineas said. "I know what I'm doing!"

Lettie had seen Mrs. Barnum. She was a beautiful, elegant woman and Lettie was positive she chose the clothes she and her children wore instead of leaving it in her husband's hands. And, since Mr. Phineas didn't seem to have any mistresses, Lettie couldn't think of any women he'd be responsible for dressing. But here he was, handing over the kind of dress Lettie had wept for in her earlier years, and here she was, behind a screen with a dressmaker fastening her stays.

"Shouldn't there be more of it?" Lettie was a realist - which meant she accepted her sex, skin colour, size, and beard - and this dress fitted but left an awful lot on show.

"It's the fashion," Molly, the museum's dressmaker and seamstress, said. "It's all the rage in Paris."

Lettie looked down at her capacious bosom and tugged the dress higher. She really didn't think bearded women in Paris made such fools of themselves as to wear pretty purple frocks and put flowers in their hair.

Peeping through the screen, she could see Mr. Phineas pace. "Is it a good fit?" he asked.

"Perfect!" Molly said, an enthusiastic tone in her voice. "Oh, Lettie!"

Lettie stepped out from behind the screen.

Mr. Phineas stopped and stared, and Lettie's heart dropped. Despite the years of name calling that had reinforced her acceptance of her ugliness, she'd wanted to be pretty.

"I was right," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "You're beautiful."

Lettie shook her head. She knew he was being kind.

"Look. Look in the mirror," Mr. Phineas urged.

She didn't want to but she looked. And stared. She wasn't miraculously slender or less bearded but the stranger in the mirror had an allure to her that Lettie didn't recognise. She moved, turning from side to side to see the dress, the flowers, the make up on her face that drew attention to her dark eyes. "I'm -"

"Beautiful. Say it, Lettie, it's okay," Mr. Phineas urged.

Lettie couldn't say it in case the spell broke.

"Go show the others then. No one will laugh, I promise."

She did and he was right. Again. Though she wasn't sure the "Hot diggity!" from Charles was something she should take notice of.

The end.


End file.
